Tips for yard, garage sales

Aug. 10, 2012

Donate the leftovers from your garage sale to charity.

Written by

Susan Salisbury

MCT

Bad Guys Vs. Good Guys

Anyone who has ever dealt with a deadbeat builder, renegade renovator or fly-by-night mover knows there’s nothing more infuriating than watching these home-improvement helpers bungle, or worse still, skip out on a project. Check these resources: Renegade Renovators:Westchester County’s Office of Consumer Affairs maintains a “bad guy” list. Find it, and a lot of information on how to choose a contractor at http:consumer.west chestergov.com/home- contractors/choosing-a-contractor Rockland County Department of Consumer Affairs: Go here to check if the contractor you are planning to hire is licensed: https://www/co.rockland. ny.us. You can also file a complaint, and find consumer tips here. Better Business Bureau: To check whether a business, firm or worker is reputable visit: http://new york.bbb.org/ consumers. You can also report shady companies to the BBB. Westchester County Clerk: This is a good resource to check whether a contractor is licensed. Call them at 914-995-3082, or go to www.westchester clerk.com Putnam County Consumer Affairs Office: This site lets you check local contractors with outstanding violations and has a list of licensed contractors by trade: www.putnamcounty ny.com/consumers/index. htm

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If your closets are stuffed, your home is cluttered and your garage is filled with items you don’t use, one solution is to hold a yard or garage sale.

With the right planning and strategy, you can end up with a couple of hundred dollars. But it can be a lot of work.

If you don’t like haggling with strangers and having them paw over your discards, then don’t even consider it. You can expect annoying people who want to give you 25 cents for something you’ve priced at $10. Keep an eye on small items or they will disappear.

Christie Hardcastle, community development officer with CredAbility, a nonprofit credit counseling and education agency in West Palm Beach, Fla., Hardcastle participates in a neighborhood yard sale once a year, and says she has learned a lot.

Here are some things to keep in mind before you clear out your garage:

• Don’t try to run the sale by yourself: It takes at least three or four people to handle the crowd that might show up. Recruit a friend or two to help. They might want to bring some of their own castoffs to sell, too.

“People want to think about having a safety plan,” Hardcastle said.

That means making sure your house is locked, and not letting anyone in to use the restroom.

• Keep watch to make sure no one shoplifts. Shoppers have been known to distract the seller with questions while another shopper steals. Just like stores do, check the inside of suitcases to see whether a purchaser has hidden items in it.

Hardcastle suggests keeping small items close and putting up a sign that says, “Jewelry or trinkets, ask me.”

If something is truly valuable, a yard sale might not be the best place to sell it. Selling jewelry, antiques or collectibles through a classified ad or eBay might make more sense.

• Preparation is key, and it starts with picking a non-holiday weekend day for the sale. Check with your homeowners’ association or local government to see if you need permission and to make sure such sales are allowed. Advertise in advance through the newspaper or signs. Set hours for the sale, which probably should not extend past early afternoon.

Be prepared for early birds.

• Instead of marking every item with a price tag that someone can remove or switch, group items on tables. For example, have an “Each item is $1” table, or an “Each item is $5.” Tag major items such as furniture, Hardcastle said.

“Make sure you have enough change, singles,” Hardcastle said.

CredAbility advises pricing items in good condition at 25 to 30 percent of retail value.